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Choosing an enclosure? Get an expert opinion21 July 2008When specifying enclosures, there are many important aspects that need to be carefully considered. These will, of course, vary between different market sectors – and be dependent upon whether the enclosure is located indoors or outdoors. But there are many other key aspects to consider, as our survey of enclosure suppliers has revealed.
With such a wide spectrum of enclosure specification options available in today’s market, many companies have actually gone so far as to set up a service that enables them to deliver the right enclosure for your application, based on the information you supply to them. While this process aims to provide the user with the most appropriate and most economical solution to your enclosure needs, there remain many different variables to consider, and it’s all very much open to debate as to which you feel is the most important and what the supplier (given his breadth of experience) might suggest to the contrary!
According to our survey, the main element considered when specifying enclosures is protection. Primarily, this applies to the ingress of unwanted substances into the enclosure interior, but also stretches to corrosion resistance (and to a lesser extent, weather and impact resistance likewise). Ingress protection primarily relates to moisture and particulates such as airborne dust. An outdoor enclosure is often at higher risk due to its exposure to the elements, but factory floor enclosures may be further compromised where the manufacturing environment is particularly aggressive. Covering as many of these risks as possible, however, will provide peace-of-mind and ensure that the enclosure enjoys a lengthy and relatively trouble-free lifetime.
Corrosion resistance is more directly targeted at the exterior of the enclosure (rather than the inner contents protected by ingress protection). This serves to protect the housing from dangers such as hazardous chemicals or substances that could adversely affect the enclosure – and thus lead to a potential ingress issue thereafter – along with a multitude of other potential problems. Long term corrosion and its effects on enclosure sealing, ease of maintenance access and the like, must be considered when specifying the enclosure material of construction.
Suppliers interviewed on this particular subject pointed out that pre-treatment is often a successful way of ensuring high levels of corrosion resistance. Reactive Chromate Treatment (RCT), for example, was cited as a useful system.
The other major influencing factor when specifying enclosures is being aware of standards compliance. With so many potential uses for an enclosure, the variety of different standards needing to be adhered to is extensive. Cannon Technologies, a company that has installed enclosures for over 25 years, has adhered to standards including: dust and water protection testing up to IP 65 BS EN 60529:1992; shock and vibration testing; paint adhesion tests; damp heat cycle testing; EMC shielding; panel rigidity; impact; door and lock burst tests; and thermal management tests including ‘solar gain’. Standards compliance is an aspect of enclosure specification that simply cannot be avoided, hence its level of importance when choosing the most appropriate housing.
Aesthetics and cost-effectiveness were also deemed to be important factors, but the notion of ‘security’ was - surprisingly - rarely mentioned among our survey sample. One would think that, along with other protection measures already outlined, this may be of vital importance in certain applications. After all, if an enclosure is maliciously breached, it could have serious consequences. Vandal proofing, in this author's opinion, should also number among the key specifications for encloures located outside in remote and rarely monitored locations. Contact Details and Archive...Most Viewed Articles... |
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